US President Barack Obama has signalled that he may reform the way in which the NSA bulk collects and stores people’s mobile phone data following the Edward Snowden leaks.

Although Mr Obama said he had not yet made any decisions about
the NSA’s collection programmes, he would have a “a pretty
definitive statement about this in January”.

One reform he hinted at was to strip the NSA of the ability to
store data in its own facility, instead having private phone
companies hold the information.

Speaking at his end-of-year news conference, Mr Obama said: “
There are ways we can do it, potentially, that gives people greater
assurance that there are checks and balances - that there's
sufficient oversight and sufficient transparency.”

He added that NSA programmes such as bulk collection of phone
records “could be redesigned in ways that give you the same
information when you need it without creating these potentials for
abuse.”

His hint at concessions came the same week a federal judge
declared the bulk collection programme unconstitutional and a
presidential advisory panel that included intelligence experts
suggested reforms.

Both said there was little evidence any terror plot had been
thwarted by the programme and the advisory panel offered 46
recommendations.

The bulk collection programme sweeps up the metadata of every
phone call made in the US, storing the number called, the number
from which the call is made and the duration and time of the
call.

Obama continued to defend the need for the programme, citing
national security and insisted that the NSA was not doing anything
contrary to US law.

He did however concede that the revelations had shaken the “
confidence and trust” of some Americans.

“I have confidence in the fact that the NSA is not engaging in
domestic surveillance or snooping around,” Mr Obama said. “We may
have to refine this further to give people more confidence. And I'm
going to be working very hard on doing that.”